On the morning of January 29, 2018, Zhao Kebin, Managing Vice President of Shanghai Academy, convened a special-topic conference to pass on the essence of “CASS Work Conference 2018 & Conference of Comprehensively Enforcing Strict Party Discipline and Strengthening Party Building” to staff dispatched to Shanghai Academy by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Zhao mainly exhorted the staff to give serious attention to CASS President Wang Weiguang’s report at the work conference titled Open A New Situation in Philosophy and Social Sciences under the Guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for A New Era. He also organized that they study other documents of this work conference, including CASS Five-year Work Summary (2013-2017). Wang Jingqing’s speech at the work conference was titled Implement the Essence of 17th NPC Congress in an All-round Way and Unswervingly Advance Enforcing Strict Party Discipline. Deng Zhonghua's 2018 annual work conference in CASS advocated comprehensive and strict administration of the party to strengthen party building work. The speeches at the conference included: Deng Zhonghua’s speech titled Stick to Correct Direction, Grasp Scientific Rules to Provide Strong Support to Building Philosophy and Social Sciences with Chinese Characteristics, and "Key points of the work of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in the Discipline Inspection Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2018 (Exposure draft)”

All related staff expressed great willingness to seriously implement the spirit of the conference in the work for 2018, work creatively for the prosperity and development of China’s philosophy and social sciences under the correct guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and to try to make greater contributions with innovated new work style and new measures.